1857 Flying Eagle Cent Die Chip

Description

Located at the base of the inner eagle wing on the obverse, this die chip variety appears on the 1857 Flying Eagle cent — a coin from the brief two-year series (1857-1858) that introduced the small cent format to American coinage, replacing the large copper cents that had been struck since 1793. A die chip forms when a small fragment of the hardened die surface breaks away under the repeated stress of striking, leaving a shallow cavity that fills with metal during each subsequent impression. The result is a raised metallic lump on the finished coin, positioned in this case where the inner wing feathers meet the eagle's body. The Flying Eagle design by James B. Longacre packed considerable detail into a small planchet, and the fine engraving of individual feather barbs created stress points in the die steel where chips were more likely to develop. With only two years of regular production, Flying Eagle cent die varieties occupy a compact but actively studied corner of the die break catalog, and even minor die chips draw collector attention given the series' historical importance as America's first small cent.